Mary Pickford
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 13.8% ABV ∙
The Mary Pickford is an official IBA classic shaken with white rum, fresh pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur, and grenadine, served up in a cocktail glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: White rum 45 mlFresh pineapple juice 45 mlMaraschino liqueur 7 mlGrenadine syrup 5 ml
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Tips
- Fresh pineapple juice, not canned, keeps the drink from turning cloying and gives it a cleaner tartness.
- Pineapple juice froths up well if you work it, so shake hard for a full 10-15 seconds.
- Keep the grenadine to 5 ml; a few extra drops turn the drink from fruity to sugary.
History
The Mary Pickford is a Prohibition-era cocktail of white rum, fresh pineapple juice, and grenadine, named for Canadian-American silent film star Mary Pickford. It first appeared in print in Basil Woon's 1928 book When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba, which described it as two-thirds pineapple juice and one-third Bacardi rum with a dash of grenadine, and credited its invention to bartender Fred Kaufman during a visit Pickford made to Havana.
Later research disputes key parts of that origin story, including whether Pickford was in Havana when the drink was created. Most accounts now credit either Fred Kaufman, head bartender at Havana's Hotel Sevilla, or Eddie Woelke, an American bartender who worked in Havana during Prohibition, without settling on one. The cocktail gained wider circulation after being included in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, by which point maraschino liqueur had become an accepted addition, though it was absent from Woon's original 1928 recipe.
FAQ
What's in a Mary Pickford?
45 ml white rum, 45 ml fresh pineapple juice, 7 ml maraschino liqueur, and 5 ml grenadine. Rum and pineapple go in equal measure, with only small amounts of maraschino and grenadine.
How do you make a Mary Pickford?
Shake the white rum, fresh pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur, and grenadine hard with ice for 10–15 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. There is no garnish. The hard shake gives the pineapple juice its light froth.
What is the best rum for a Mary Pickford?
A clean white rum. Its light flavor lets the pineapple juice and maraschino liqueur come through without oak or caramel notes.
How strong is a Mary Pickford?
About 13.8% ABV. Nearly half the drink is pineapple juice, and the shake adds more water, so it is lighter than a spirit-forward cocktail.
